NMMC pulls out kerbstones that were knotting up traffic

A week after MiD DAY’s Navi Mumbai edition reported about kerbstones protruding from the road to form a separate lane at JK Chambers area in Sector 17 in Vashi, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has completely removed the kerbstones. The news was published last Thursday (‘Kerbstones jutting out mid-road causing snarls’), and the work of removing the stones started the very same day.

Problem curbed: Marks left on the road after the kerbstones were removed by the NMMC following complaints from commuters

Commuters from the city who travel from Bawa Tower (Golden Punjab Hotel) to JK Chamber, Sector 17 were regularly aggravated at having to navigate this spot of bother. Automotive shops line one side of the road and a few feet from the row of shops, the NMMC planted the big kerbstones, dividing the road into two lanes. The side lane was supposed to keep garage and repair activities of the shops by the side of the road from spilling on to the main traffic lane, but it ended up clogging the flow of vehicles.

The report that MiD DAY carried on May 30

Residents and commuters were facing inconvenience due to this every day, and had even criticised the civic body for the decision. But their gripe did not go unheard. After the NMMC removed the stones, motorists were grateful to it for the prompt action. A Vashi resident said, “The Navi Mumbai corporation had given the order to remove kerbstones in order to avoid accidents on the main road.”

Said another resident from the locality, “The traffic on the same road now runs without hiccups. There is no chaos anymore as cars are now being parked on the inner lane of the road. The three-row parking seen near Golden Punjab Hotel has now made way for a more systematic facility.”

Dharm Upadhya, parking attendant of NMMC, said, “The removal of kerbstones has made a lot of difference as we can now systematically park vehicles. The traffic runs efficiently. It has become more convenient for us to control traffic.”

Vijay Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) said, “When we got to know of the issue, we realised the problems commuters were facing and requested the NMMC to remove the kerbstones as soon as possible.”